Scientists Discover First Ever Glowing Sea Turtle

Marine biologists working in the Solomon Islands, in the south Pacific Ocean, captured video footage of a sea turtle exhibiting bioflourescence—glowing in the dark—the first reptile science has identified that exhibits the trait.

David Gruber, a scientist with the City University of New York, was in the Solomon Islands in July conducting research on bioflourescence in sharks and coral reefs, species in which it has been observed previously, National Geographic reports. Bioflourescence, in which an animal reflects the blue light of the ocean as a different color, is different from bioluminescence, in which an animal emits light through chemical reactions.

Gruber was running a camera outfitted with special technology to pick up bioflourescence when the turtle swam into view.